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Kraven
Kraven is the Vampire regent of the Old World Coven and the secret ally of Lucian. He appears in Underworld and Underworld: Evolution, and is portrayed by Irish actor Shane Brolly. In Underworld: Endless War, his voice is provided by Canadian voice actor Trevor Devall. The ''Underworld'' novel puts Kraven's age at more than 700 years old; while the memories of his involvement at William Corvinus's capture in Underworld: Evolution puts him at at least 800 years old. History In the 1400's, Kraven was a Death Dealer trusted by the powerful Vampire Elder Viktor, and Kraven was with him the night that he slaughtered Selene's family. Kraven arrived as Viktor comforted a mournful Selene, but Viktor gestured him away, without Selene ever becoming aware of his presence. In the war against the Lycan leader Lucian, Kraven was among the Death Dealers who ventured into Lucian's fortress to defeat him. The night went badly for the Vampires, however, and every Vampire died except Kraven. Whether this was because Kraven has already betrayed the Vampires to Lucian, or if the Lycans simply overwhelmed the Vampires is unknown. Kraven made a deal with Lucian that he would take credit for his murder in exchange for helping Lucian to go into hiding until he was strong enough to kill Viktor. As Kraven fled back to the Vampires, Lucian's fortress burned to the ground and Lucian escaped with his forces into the night. Kraven used a branded piece of skin from Lucian's arm to convince Viktor he had killed Lucian and defeated the Lycans. Kraven was greatly praised and rewarded for killing Lucian and supposedly setting the great blaze. Though there were some suspicions as to how he was able to kill Lucian, Kraven rose through the ranks of the Vampire elite, eventually being made steward of the entire Vampire Coven. While some in the Coven did not particularly care for him, Kraven was at least respected because of the confidence bestowed upon him by Viktor. Kraven also began pursuing Selene, only to be spurned and utterly rejected by her every time. ''Underworld'' In the 21st Century, Kraven begins his move towards gaining complete power over the Vampires. Taking advantage of the change of power between the Elders, Kraven plans to assassinate both Marcus Corvinus and Viktor as they lay slumbering, while Amelia would be killed by Lycans under orders from Lucian. Kraven's plans begin to go awry when Selene becomes suspicious of the alleged death of Lucian, and begins to look into the affair. Initially, Selene believes the same as all the other Vampires, that Kraven killed Lucian and burned his fortress to the ground. However, Kraven has an ill-timed slip of the tongue while speaking with her, referring to Lucian in the present tense, though the Lycan is supposed to have died 600 years before. This, combined with Kraven's lack of interest in the discovery of a Lycan den, makes her suspicious. Selene begins to dig into the Vampires' history, and discovers a drawing of Lucian. She then realizes that she had seen Lucian earlier that very night. Armed with this knowledge, Selene awakens the slumbering Vampire Elder Viktor a century before his set Awakening time, and begs him for help. Viktor is irritated by his awakening and blasts Kraven for losing control of the Coven and of Selene, referring to the Coven as "weak" and "decadent". Upon learning that Selene may be in a relationship with a Lycan named Michael Corvin, Viktor dismisses Kraven, then orders Selene to be judged by the Vampire Council and Amelia, claiming that she has been "tainted by an animal". Viktor refuses to believe Selene over Kraven, and so unknowingly gives Kraven the opportunity to finish carrying out his plans. Enraged by Viktor's awakening and Selene's continuous rejection of him, Kraven vents to his servant, Erika, who is desperately in love with him. He decides that Erika can be used to fulfill his plot, but instead ends up drinking her blood after she removes her shirt in front of him. Much to Erika's dismay, Kraven dumps her on his couch and leaves when he learns that Selene has returned to the mansion. Kraven intercepts Selene and again attempts to force a monogamous relationship onto her, which leads Selene to declare "There is no us!" and to punch Kraven, knocking him to the floor. After Selene is condemned to be judged by the Council, Kraven personally takes her to her room, where she is locked inside, unable to escape. Kraven commands his men not to let Selene leave the room, referring to her as his "future queen". Erika hears this and becomes enraged that Kraven has again chosen Selene over her, despite their earlier tryst. To secure her place by Kraven's side, Erika turns out the power to the mansion and frees Selene, with the hopes that Selene will never return and that Kraven will then choose her instead. Erika then lies to Kraven, telling him that Selene ran away to be with Michael. Kraven has his personal guards, led by Soren, sent to pick up Amelia and escort her back to the mansion. Unbeknownst to Viktor or anybody else, Kraven tips off the Lycans to Amelia's whereabouts and orders his men not to defend her and the Council as they're attacked. By the time the other Death Dealers reach the conclusion that something has gone wrong, Amelia is already dead. Kraven's next plans are to kill Viktor and Marcus. Unfortunately for both Kraven and Erika, Selene returns to Ördögház with proof of Kraven's conspiracy with Lucian. A wounded Lycan, Singe, is forced to tell Viktor everything he knows about the Lycans' plans and Kraven's alliance with them. Singe tells Viktor that the Lycans want to use Michael Corvin's blood to make Lucian a Hybrid. Viktor does not believe this, exclaiming that Lucian is dead, to which Singe replies, "According to whom?". Viktor and Selene then look to where Kraven was standing, only to see that he has fled the mansion, fearful of Viktor's wrath. On his way out of Ördögház, Kraven tracks down Erika, and asks her to obtain the Silver Nitrate gun for him. Erika does this, and attempts to get into the car with Kraven, but Kraven shoves her out the door and drives off. Kraven drives to the Lycan den, where he confronts Lucian about everything that's gone wrong at the Vampire mansion. Lucian looks on Kraven with disgust, and announces that Kraven has messed everything up and that he now must fix Kraven's mistakes. Unhappy with Lucian's chiding of him, Kraven pulls out the Silver Nitrate gun and shoots Lucian once. As Lucian falls to the floor, Kraven flees the room, searching for a way to escape the lair. Kraven rushes to the exit, but gets there just in time to see Viktor approaching the Lycan den. Realizing he can't get out that way, he begins to wander the lair, alternatively trying to find a way out and hiding from the Death Dealers. By accident, Selene and Michael stumble into the room where Kraven is hiding. Overcome with jealousy, Kraven shoots Michael several times with the Silver Nitrate gun. He attempts to get her to come with him, but she angrily tells him that she hopes that Viktor chokes the life from him. Kraven then tells Selene the truth about how her family really died, and about the death of Sonja, the Vampire daughter of Viktor, whose death started the war between the Lycans and Vampires. Kraven uses this to attempt to convince Selene to come with him and to be his mate, but she again refuses, looking down sadly at Michael, whose dying body lays in her arms. Kraven is suddenly stabbed by Lucian, who is still alive, though just barely. This gives Selene the opportunity to bite Michael, infecting him with the Vampire virus, and making him a Hybrid. He starts to chide Selene, asking her what she is doing, but is distracted by Lucian, who, with his last words, taunts Kraven, saying “You may have killed me, cousin, but my will is done regardless.” before Kraven finishes him off with several more rounds of Silver Nitrate. Viktor then arrives and Kraven is forced to flee the room. Kraven remains in the Lycan den, not far from where he left Selene and Michael. Hiding behind a pillar, Kraven sees Michael become a Hybrid, and watches as Selene kills Viktor. Once Viktor is dead, he returns to the mansion, intending to kill Marcus and establish himself as ruler of the Covens. ''Underworld: Evolution'' Shortly after watching Viktor's death, Kraven returns to Ördögház with the few bodyguards he has left. He and his men rush to the Elders' Chamber and pull Marcus's coffin from the floor. Much to Kraven's surprise, Marcus is not in the coffin, and it appears as though he tore his way out. Kraven then hears pounding from beneath the floor of the room. Marcus, now a Hybrid from accidentally ingesting Singe's blood, rises through the floor and kills Kraven's men in short order. Kraven shoots at him, but Marcus uses his wing talons to pin him to the wall. He blasts Kraven for his treachery, then bites him and drinks his blood. From Kraven's blood, Marcus learns the truth of how Selene's family died, and that Viktor and Amelia are dead. Marcus stops before Kraven dies of blood loss, but he ignores Kraven's requests to be of assistance to him. Instead, he cuts off Kraven's head with his wing talons, killing him. ''Underworld: Endless War'' Kraven appears briefly in Part II of the 15-minute anime, Underworld: Endless War. In Endless War, Selene is giving her report to Kraven via telephone. To Selene's disgust, Kraven informs her that her presence is 'eagerly-awaited at the mansion' by Lord Clovis, (hinting that Clovis apparently has a special interest in her, and has made unwanted advances towards her). He reminds Selene that eliminating the remaining self-proclaimed "Lords of the Lycans" terrorists remains her main objective while in Paris, condescendingly pointing out her past failure to finish them all off, and that he doesn't want 'Werewolf Terrorist' rumor going any futher. Kraven's tone of voice also hints that he is amused at Clovis' interest in Selene, and by Selene's disgust at Clovis' interest in her. After reminding her to be present at the Paris Mansion for the security of the Crimson Moon Ceremony, he tells her he'll be waiting for her next report. ''Blood Enemy'' The non-canon novel Blood Enemy explores an alternate backstory for Kraven. In this timeline, Kraven is a Death Dealer working under the orders of Viktor, who is repeatedly ignored and dismissed at all turns. Angered at his poor treatment by the Vampire elite, Kraven makes a deal with Soren to find a way to rise to power, which eventually leads to his deal with Lucian. Throughout the novel, Kraven is seen cowtowing to Viktor and other Vampire nobles, going overboard in his efforts to please them at all costs. This causes most other Vampires to look down on him, seeing him as nothing more than a pitiful lapdog. Powers & Abilities Like all Vampires, Kraven is implied to be gifted with superhuman strength, speed, and agility. Examples of this include his back-handing Lucian into a wall, fleeing the Elders' Chamber without being noticed, and healing within seconds of being stabbed in the leg. Due to his advanced age, Kraven likely boasts more advanced skills than most others of his species, barring Andreas Tanis, Selene, (due to becoming a Corvinus Strain Hybrid), and the Elders. Personality One of Kraven's most prominant personality trait is his self-serving pursuit of his ambitions, (according to his official bio, he is "infatuated with power"). These ambitions go hand-in-hand with his lust, easily succumbing to passing fancies, (such as the fact as his turning Erica into a Vampire on a whim because he was physically attracted to her before losing interest), and regularly over-indulging in blood and sex. Another prominant trait of Kraven's, (according to his official bio), is his "rather massive but fragile ego", Kraven is narcissistic, so self-absorbed that it blinds him to important details. Kraven fancies himself to be at the top of his game, which makes him oblivious to facts. Also according to his bio, "On the surface, he maintains a calm distance from the archaic bloodbaths and violence of the relic vampire covens". Dispite his inflated opinion of himselfs, Kraven is ruled by his base desires. Kraven never likes to get his hands dirty, so he has his "lieutenant, Soren, to do his dirty work". He spends most of his time over-indulging in either blood, sex, or both. In both his appearences, Kraven is depicted with a "never-ending" and unrequited "infatuation" with Selene. His obsession with her is threefold: * Lust--Kraven has lusted after Selene ever since the night of her family's murder. According to the prologue in the Evolution novelization, when he had first lain eyes on Selene it was lust-at-first-sight, he hoped that Viktor would let him "ravish her", but was thoughly disappointed when Viktor waved him and Soren away, but he'd dared not disobey Viktor at that time. Throughout the six-hundred years that have followed since then, Selene has rejected his every sexual advance and all his attempts to seduce her. After he was elevated to the role of Viktor's regent, Kraven made it widely known throughout the Coven that he had plans for him and Selene without her consent or any regard for the fact that she dispised him. His inability to comprehend, or even recognise the fact that Selene is not, nor ever will be, attracted to him proves to be a major part of his downfall. * Power--As Selene was personally turned by Lord Viktor, (an Elder), and has been one of Viktor's 'favorites', (she has throughout the centuries had his favor within the Coven, although Selene kept out of the Coven's politics), is a highly-ranked member of the Covern's upper-class, and, as since she is considered to be a daughter to Viktor in all but name, is something of a Covern princess, making her a highly desirable candidate for a mate for Kraven as his "future queen", as he calls her. He sees her as a sort-of arm-trophy/trophy-wife that would serve as proff his victory at the end of his campaign with Lucian. Kraven has made numerous attempts to buy her favor, (such as providing her with elegant dresses, a "hand-beaded silk geogette imported directly from Paris which had been fitted to Selene's exact measurements", is described in the first novelization), trying to get her to attend his soirees, thinking if he can get her to attend them, she'll become 'obliging' like Erika. * Ego--According to Viktor's observations, Kraven's fixiation with Selene is "the oldest story in the book"; that Kraven "desires the one thing he cannot have", and so becomes even more obsessed with her the longer he cannot have her. Selene seems to be the only femle within the Coven, (except perhaps for Amelia(?)), that Kraven has not managed to seduce and fornicate with. When he catches-on that Selene has feelings for Michael Corvin, cannot fathom why she would choose a Human over him, and after he learns that, even after this same Human has just been bitten by a Lycan, Selene still chooses Michael over him, become futher obsessive, outright calling for Michael's "head on a plate". When, trying to escape from the Lycans lair dodging Vampires and Lycans alike, and having to turn back after spotting Viktor, Kraven is stumbled upon by Selene and Michael, trying to dodge the fighting themselves, Kraven becomes angered, infuriated, and resentful beyond reason at the sight of them together and shoots Michael three times in coldblood with the proto-type Silver-nitrate Gun. At this point, Kraven makes another deluded attempt to sway Selene over to his side, only to be rejected again, at which point Kraven decides to finish them both off together, deciding that if He couldn't have Selene then no-one else could. According to the Evolution novelization, even as he was faced with certain death after he failed to eliminate Marcus, Kraven was still smarting over Selene's rejection of him. Trivia * The name "Kraven" is a derivation of the English word "craven", meaning "coward";, a reference to Kraven's spineless nature. * According to the Underworld novelization, Kraven made Erika a Vampire roughly three decades before the events of the film. * According to the novelization of Evolution, Kraven had attended the premiere of Macbeth in London 400 years earlier, and that he identifies with the character of Macbeth, as "Macbeth had also murdered a monarch in his sleep, so as to fulfill his vaulting ambition." * According to the script for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Kraven was originally supposed to have a large and important role in the prequel. However, he was later removed entirely, and his role replaced by that of Andreas Tanis. * In the non-canon novel, Blood Enemy, Kraven was described as an Englishman, who had been "raised on palace intrigues in the court of King Henry I". * In both the novelizations for Underworld, and the non-canon novel Blood Enemy, Kraven is known as "Kraven of Leicester". * A bust of Kraven sits next to those of the Elders, but Erika smashes it and hides the pieces in her rage over Kraven's rejection of her. * The novelizations state that Kraven often participated in blood orgies with other Vampires. * Kraven shares a strong likeness to the non-canon character Nicolae from the Blood Enemy novel. Both men are high-ranking Vampires who spend most of their time indulging in hedonistic pleasures, both are arrogant and egocentric, and both pursue women who have no interest in them. Interestingly, the woman Nicolae is engaged to marry against her will is Sonja, the same character who is identical to Selene in both appearance and mannerisms in the official canon. Though the two men live in the same Coven in Blood Enemy, they rarely interact, and Nicolae appears to hold a very low opinion of Kraven. Quotes Gallery File:Kravenposter.jpg|Official wallpaper featuring Kraven. File:Kravnprint.jpg|Kraven circling the empty coffin of Marcus. File:kraven.jpg|Still of Kraven. File:kraven.png|Kraven in the midst of yelling at Selene. Lucianblade.jpg|Kraven pulling Lucian's blade from his leg. Kravenevo.jpg|Kraven in Underworld: Evolution. Kravenew2.jpg|Kraven talking on the phone in Endless War. es:Kraven Category:Endless War characters Category:Blood Enemy Characters Category:Male characters Category:Deceased Category:Antagonists Category:Evolution characters Category:Character Category:Vampire Category:Death Dealer Category:Underworld characters